Citylife

ABOUT THE CITY

One of India's largest metros, Kolkata - till recently Calcutta - is over 300 years old. In the 16th century, Kolkata was just a village when Job Charnok, an agent of the East India Company converted it into a British trade settlement. The rise of Calcutta began when it became the capital of British India in 1772. Though the city lost some of its sheen when the British shifted base to Delhi, making it the capital in 1912, it is still a thriving city that keeps reinventing itself. Kolkata and its people are passionate about art, literature, music, dance, theatre, and sports. Kolkata has produced international stalwarts in every field-Nobel Laureates Rabindranath Tagore, Mother Teresa, and Amartya Sen, Oscar-winning film-maker Satyajit Ray and sportspersons of international repute including India's current cricket captain Saurav Ganguly. Love it or hate it, you just can't ignore the city of joy.

GETTING THERE

By Air
Kolkata has an international airport with major airlines flying in and out of the city. All domestic airlines fly in an out of Kolkata and it is connected by air to major Indian towns and cities. The airport is 17 kms from the city center.

By Train
Kolkata is extremely well connected by train. It has two main stations - Howrah and Sealdah and it is an extremely busy junction.

By Bus
The city is connected by an excellent network of highways to various parts of state and the rest of India.

GETTING AROUND

Getting around in Kolkata is easy and tough ... it depends on the mode of transport that you choose. Kolkata has trams that work but these are slow. There is a crowded bus service and a lethargic taxi service, but an excellent underground metro and even ferries to cross the river.

WEATHER

Being next to the sea, the weather is usually hot and sultry. Its best to visit Kolkata in the winter months between November and March when the weather is pleasant.

ESSENTIALS

Cool cottons in summer and light woolens in winters. Carry sunglasses and a parasol to protect yourself from the sun.

RESTAURANTS

Name

Cuisine

Address

Tel

Aaheli

Indian

Hotel Peerless Inn, 12, J.L. Nehru Rd - 700013

2280301, 2280303

Aminia

Mughlai

6-A, S.N. Banerjee Rd - 700087

2441318

Atithi

Indian

44, Panchanantala Rd - 700029

4722169

Badshah

Mughlai

Lindsay St - 700087

2297261, 2294185

Banyan Tree

Multi-cuisine

Shakespeare Sarani - 700071

2829957, 2829958

Bedwin

Multi-cuisine

Gariahat Rd - 700029

4644615

Garden Cafe

Fast Food

Alipore Rd - 700027

4399346

Kurry Club

Indian

176, Sarat Bose Rd - 700029

4667028

Mandarin

Chinese

217, Sarat Bose Rd - 700029

4662276

Peter Cat

Indian

18, Park St. - 700016

2464342, 2298841

Silver Grill

Multi-cuisine

18-E, Park St. - 700071

2299086, 2294549

Tandoori Hut

Indian

H-20, New Alipore - 700053

4783209, 4554694

Tangara Kaizen

Chinese

33-B, Sarat Bose Rd - 700020

4762235

Tavern

Indian

17-B, Park St - 700016

2297825

The Sheriff

Fast Food

15-C, Sarat Bose Rd - 700020

2806444

BOOKSHELF

Name

Address

Tel

Allied Publishers

17, CR Avenue

2257023, 2252514

Allied Publishing

61, Mahatma Gandhi Road

2413113

Ananda Publishers (P) Ltd

45, Beniatolla Lane

2414352, 2413417

Bangiya Bignan Parishad

P 23, Raja Rajkrishna Street

5558417

Bengal Publishers Pvt. Ltd

14, Bankim Chatterjee Street

2418207

Best Books

1A, College Row

4407383

Books & Allied

6, Kiran Shankar Roy Road

2431059

CAMP

P 82, CIT Road

2450858

Calcutta Book House

15D, Entally Road

2441867

Cambridge Book House

37257, Bankim Chatterjee Street

2410965

Frank Bros. & Co. (P) Ltd

1A, Park Street

2293486, 2297518

Grantha Niketan

156A, Kamalalaya, Lenin Sarani

2375849

India Book Distributors

8B, College Row

4404392

International Book Distributors

37288, Shyama Charan Dey Street

2417466

International Books

4, Totti Lane ( Sudder Street )

2443596, 2451656

Macmillan India Ltd

14, Bankim Chatterjee Road

2417490, 2412490

Model Publishing House

10, Shyama Charan Dey Street

2416420, 2419431

Modern Book Agency(P) Ltd

3, Shyama Charan Dey Street

2416130

Seagull Books (P) Ltd

285, BB Ganguly Street

2367459, 2373914

Sishu Sahitya Samsad (P) Ltd

26, Circus Avenue

2403636

Springer Books(India) Pvt. Ltd

32, APC Road

3507669, 3503195

Standard Literature Co. (P) Ltd

53, Syed Amir Ali Avenue

2477209, 2470834

Sujan Publications

76, AJC Bose Road

2448253, 2445751, 2445258

Suprakashani

7B, Lake Place

4663783

Tussels

8B, College Row

5573519

W. Newman & Co. Ltd

107/1, Park Street

2260904, 2261778

Wheeler Publishing

3, Old Court House Street

2489436, 2489438

World View

18, 2nd Floor, NSC Bose Road

2204945, 3511248

SHOPPING

Kolkata is a shopper's delight. This is one city where you can get just about anything you desire. Premium shopping places are New Market, Chowringee Road, and the new retail outlets like Pantaloons and Emami Plaza. For up market boutiques check out the area around Park Street. More interesting wares can be found on Free School Street where hole in the wall shops offer some of the best music anywhere. Also worth a dekko is Bentick Street where Chinese shoemakers craft great leather stuff at amazing prices.

FESTIVALS

Kolkata comes alive during the 10-day long Durga Pooja that is celebrated in the months of October/November. The entire city takes off for almost a week for the festivities and large pandals with large idols of Goddess Durga are set up all over the city. Social dos are held all over the city and they comprise long cultural evenings, feasts of traditional cuisine, showing off a newly acquired wardrobe, and generally enjoying oneself with friends and family.